Recently in Covina Category

Here's the photo the Olson Co. sent us of their groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday.

Those are the Olson execs on the right, and one on the left. Covina council members and staffers are in the middle. Absent is Councilman Bob Low, who opposes redevelopment and the Citrus Walk project.

Construction is expected to take about two years on the downtown mixed-use project.

Covina Mayor Peggy Delach had a unusual excuse for missing Tuesday's City Council meeting -- she was stuck on the tarmac at Ontario airport because the plane's door was stuck. This after the flight was already delayed.

Delach wound up spending a couple of hours in her seat before passengers were finally freed, and she got home around 9 p.m. At least she didn't have to stay overnight.

Covina also adjourned its meeting in memory of Grant Parrish, father of City Manager Darryl Parrish. A former Marine and Yucaipa resident, Grant Parrish died Dec. 19 at age 90. The city manager said he had a lot of thank you cards to write after receiving well wishes from employees and residents.

The timing was rough because Parrish was in the middle of finding a new home. He had been staying in the city-owned house that will soon be torn down for the Olson Citrus Walk. Parrish moved into a new place on Badillo this week.

I fear I am going to hog some of the links today, but my ego has actually grown very little.

You may have seen Sunday's package in the newspaper regarding city car allowances. Two web links for you on that story. The more specific story about El Monte's car allowances and an overall picture of the Valley.

Then there is another story out of Rio Hondo's Police Academy. This one follows up on claims of ammunition abuse at the school while addressing some other issues at the academy.

Here is one to wet your appetite: Food trucks are gathering at SpeedZone in Industry.

Fran Delach, Azusa City Manager, called redevelopment funds "city life blood." Gov. Jerry Brown may pull the plug.

Those concerned about autism should take a look at today's display. A new study links freeways to autism. That story is coupled with the recent news that having children close together may increase the risk of autism. This also follows recent headlines debunking the doctor who is known for promoting a link between autism and vaccines.

Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune

If you are a politician in Covina and West Covina, times appear to be good (in the sense of getting elected).

In West Covina, Karin Armbrust went from second loser to being appointed on the council to replace newly minted Assemblyman Roger Hernandez.

Armbrust will serve the remainder of his term, which ends in November. She was selected from a pool of 19 applicants.

Then in Covina, with no challengers for incumbents Peggy Delach and Walt Allen, the election was canceled.

Instead the council appointed both incumbents, saving the city a cool chunk of change.

When was the last time you heard about a business getting arrested for turning a profit? Today, that's when.

Apparently, medical marijuana sellers aren't the small business backbone (I think a better small business metaphor is to say they are more like nerve endings or knee caps. Yeah, knee caps) of America. Dispensaries are non-profit businesses, as outlined by state law. So when a few of them allegedly starting bringing in extra proceeds, the police decided it was time for a raid.

If that is the case, enough said. They broke the law and that's that, right? The owners and partners with the dispensaries deny police claims, but that will play out in court.

But this begs the larger question, with something as potentially profitable as marijuana and the ongoing issues with dispensaries - including the popularity of opening them - to avoid these problems, why not just have this administered by the state or hospitals to avoid issues of free market business meddling with the law? Is this a viable option? Maybe I'm crazy, and if I am, I'll be happy to hear why.

In other news, no arrests have been made against the charitable "non-profit" organizations that offer 400,000 plus salaries for its executives.

Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune

Do you ever wish this blog had theme music? Maybe it's just me.

Investigators with Alcohol Beverage Control said they plan to review a videotape showing Andrew Thomas Gallo consuming eight to nine drinks at a Covina bar hours before he killed Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others in a Fullerton car crash. There was a breakdown in communication between the department and Fullerton Police, officials said. ABC wasn't aware of the tape, despite it being used in court, until last week. (Want to guess who was the middle man in informing them about the tape?)

In the wake of Montebello trying to borrow from their redevelopment agency to fund the city's general fund budget, reporter Bethania Palma delves deeper into the issue and precedent for such a move.

Gerrymandering allows California politicians to stave off political uprisings, experts say. (Doesn't that word just sound wrong. Gerrymandering. It sounds like a word you would use to describe wrestling an elderly man.)

Agencies desperate to find places to store more water are looking to the Whittier Narrows Dam, despite the dam's classification as being "very high risk."

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Here is a quick look at the cost of Azusa's environmental impact report for the recently approved Azusa Rock Quarry project.

A recent survey shows SGV school districts pay superintendents an average of $185,000 annually.

Advocates against police checkpoints say a new video shows an illegal checkpoint run by the Baldwin Park Police Department. A local expert agrees.

And look, someone won $150,000 from a winning lottery ticket sold in Covina. Who's happy for him/her? That's right, nobody because we are all bitter we didn't win that cash (and it was SO close!)

Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune

The League of California Cities (doesn't the name make it seem like a superhero group?) released a survey today of city manager compensation from cities across the state. Of the 468 cities asked to participate, about 90 percent responded, according to a statement from the League of California Cities.

If you want to see the survey, click here.

The survey includes notes on additional benefits, but nothing detailed. The salary totals are the total income for the manager from their 2009 taxes, rather than a base salary.

Some immediate things that jumped out at me was Daryl Parish's income from 2009, which was a whopping $328,830. That sum includes a cash payout of sick and vacation time from a "previous employer" (probably Colton) of about 1400 hours over an 18 month period.

The city manager of Glendale, Jim Starbird, manages a city of more than 200,000 people and made $251,000 in 2009. Duarte's City Manager Darrell George manages a city of about 22,000 people and made $215,440. Glendora's City Manager Chris Jeffers made $234,000 for a city of 52,000 people. Robert Griego, Irwindale's former city manager, oversees a city of 1,717 and made $235,502. Don Hannah, La Habra's city manager made $171,903 with a city population of 62,822. Fran Delach, Azusa's city manager, made $252,000 for a city of more than 48,000. Santa Ana's City Manager David Ream makes $240,000 in a city of 357,000 people.

I don't see West Covina or Whittier on the list. CORRECTION: Whittier is on the list. A gap on the list fooled me into thinking it was the end. I feel like I finished a school test before everyone else, turned it in, only to later realize there was a back side I never knew about. Anyway, Whittier is $283,346 for Stephen Helvey.

Are any other local cities missing?

Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune

Did you enjoy those three long days off? So did I. Although, the catch-22 is that it always makes that first day back that much more difficult.

Anyway, if you are struggling to get into that work mode, here are a few stories from the weekend to pass the time (oh, and make you a better, informed citizen of the republic and all that).

Reporter Thomas Himes did a long researched piece on city attorney fees that showed cities with their own police departments often pay more in legal fees, according to city documents and records for the last fiscal year.

Covina's police chief made his position known on the a proposition to legalize marijuana. (SPOILER: He is not a fan)

Well, despite a huge push this year for the Census - including hundreds of millions of dollars spent - it looks like national participation is down. The good news? San Gabriel Valley participation is better than the national average. The bad news? It also dipped below 2000 Census totals.

Finally, as a recent post alluded too, Glendora goes for the trifecta in asking the Supreme Court to hear its case after the county won two court cases regarding a redevelopment area designation.

Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune

Police, in an undercover venture, arrested eight people in Covina Tuesday night for illegal poker games.

This doesn't appear to just be some friendly mates deciding to sit down for a game of hold 'em at $10 a piece. It was in a bar, The Well, and there were multiple tables.

I wonder how long the police "played along" before locking their opponents up?

Scene*
Dealer: "That ends the betting. Show 'em what you got."
Cop: "I have three kings. Read 'em and weep."
Opposing player: "Check that. I have a flush."
Cop: (Drops badge on the table over the poker chips) "Can you beat that?"

*The depicted scene is a fictional scenario and does not represent any actual events or persons. Please don't give me any parking tickets.

Anyway, this isn't the first time The Well bar in Covina has made it into the news. It was also reported to be one of the Covina bars that Andrew Gallo, the man suspected of murder in the car crash death of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, Diamond Bar resident Courtney Stewart, and Henry Pearson, was drinking at prior to the Fullerton crash..

Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune

I'm convinced bed bugs are trying to take over the world.

OK, my general fear of bugs mixed with the paranoia I have had about bedbugs for the last four years probably contributes to my earlier exaggeration. They aren't out for world domination. Just our blood. That's not so bad, blood is only MY LIFE FORCE!

Seriously though, the bedbug problem seems to be getting out of hand. Ben Baeder's story today say calls about bedbugs have ballooned and that the bugs have become immune to certain pesticides.

One expert went as far as to say it is an "epidemic" of bugs. I won't sleep for a week.

Let's switch to a happy hero story. Remember Carl Harstine, the WWII veteran who had his American Flag stolen twice? Well, following that initial story, the community rallied behind Harstine.

An event at his home turned into a community block party. Seriously, it was like something out of a Disney film. People walked out of their homes, children rode their skateboards, people generally flocked to see Harstine presented with new flags and a pole for an overall tribute to the man. It was awe-inspiring.

Also over the weekend, we continued to look at how cities pay their executives, this time at city councils.

No councils are making outlandish pay, generally speaking. But many do receive benefits that are more common with executives: $600 car allowance, executive health benefits, reimbursement stipends.

Finally, everyone should take the time to read Rebecca Kimitch's two-part series about how a doctor shortage could cause a health care crisis. Read the first part here and the second part here.

Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune

Just noticed that Edward Lee, the former city attorney for Bell who is also the city attorney for Covina, is a partner with the law firm Best, Best and Krieger.

You know who else is a partner with BB&K? Sonia Carvalho, city attorney for Azusa.

It isn't necessarily fair to lump Carvalho in with Lee, considering Azusa doesn't pay its city manager $800,000 or its city council $100,000 annually. But it is interesting to see how intertwined various city administrations are throughout Los Angeles County.

UPDATE: Thomas Himes just reported the news that former Bell attorney and Covina city attorney Edward Lee has resigned from BB&K.

Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune

After a survey of city manager salaries across the San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena and Whittier areas (coverage area for our three newspapers) none are making Bell type salaries, but no one is going hungry (or without a six figure salary) either.

Baldwin Park City Council members said Friday they want to hear from citizens before drafting a vehicle impound policy for the Police Department. Baldwin Park police Chief Lili Hadsell is scheduled to brief the council Wednesday on her department's vehicle impound policies, according to city documents.

And yet another story that shows what goes around, probably came around because of Bell.

Amid revelations that Bell city officials skirted state salary limits by becoming a charter city, Covina council members are shying away from the idea, which was up for their consideration.

UPDATED: Local FYI: Azusa has gone dark, that is to say, they canceled their council meetings in August. La Verne canceled tonight's council meeting, but will be meeting again on Aug. 16.

Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune

The reporting staff here at the Tribune came together like the A Team ... no wait ... The Justice League (way more fitting) to check in on local cities to see what the City Managers and City Councils are making in the wake of news reports about the city of Bell's City Manager making something like $800,000.

Here is the rundown. (Note: most of us had this information on hand as we regularly check on these things. In cases we didn't, the city handed over the information readily)

Glendora City Manager Chris Jeffers makes $201,816 annually.

La Verne's (soon to be retired) City Manager Martin Lomeli makes $194,580 annually. (Side note: La Verne City Council just passed an ordinance for City Manager pay with $160,600 as the base pay with $195,000 at the peak)

San Dimas City Manager Blaine Michaelis makes $196,452 a year.

Azusa City Manager Fran Delach is paid $212,483 annually. (He got a 5 percent raise at the beginning of this year)

Rosemead City Manager Jeffrey Allred gets $175,000 a year.

El Monte City Manager Rene Bobadilla makes $170,000 a year.

South El Monte City Manager Tony Ybarra takes in $120,000 a year.

Covina's Daryl Parrish's annual salary is $199,500.

West Covina's Andrew Pasmant gets $223,656 a year. (UPDATE: Councilman Mike Touhey called to tell me that Pasmant took the equivalent of a 5-percent pay cut on his deferred comp. That saves the city about $11,000, Touhey said.)

Walnut's Rob Wishner is paid $196,650 a year.

La Puente's Josi Kenline gets $160,000 a year.

Industry City Manager Kevin Radecki takes in $158,133 a year.

Diamond Bar's James DeStefano's salary is about $194,000 a year.

Baldwin Park's Chief Executive Officer made $152,000 a year in 2006, up to $800 a month in lodging, $1,200 a month in health and dental - reimbursed in cash if not all spent - and $300 a month in vehicle expenses or a city car.

As for City Council stipends, San Dimas councilmen make $620 a month while Mayor Curt Morris earns $830 a month.

In La Verne, the city council brings in $519 a month and is entitled to the same benefits as executive management employees. Council woman Robin Carder and Mayor Don Kendrick waived those benefits. In addition, the redevelopment agency pays $30 per meeting. City Clerk Evelyn Clark said they meet about four time per year.

Glendora council members bring in $700 a month.

Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune

Covina eliminated seven city positions Wednesday from the library and the parks and recreation, community development and police departments, city officials said.

The city is "restructuring," city spokeswoman Bobbi Kemp said.

By Ben Baeder
Staff Writer

I can't stand it when people go all out to save street trees. Unless they're grand old native Oaks or cottonwoods or some other California tree, I'll choose the cracking, root-clogged sewer line over the tree every time.

Sorry tree huggers.

But I'm a sucker for old houses. You can't grow those.

In October, I noticed that no one seemed to care when a fire torched three turn-of-the-century homes on Center Street near downtown Covina.

We got no telephone calls decrying the loss of history. On the reader Internet posts, only one woman lamented the loss, and that was only because she grew up in one of the homes.

According to our statistics, not too many people read the story online.

If the fire was in Pasadena, or Whittier or Monrovia, this would have been among the day's most-read stories on those cities' newspaper Web sites.

But it was only Covina.

Despite having some of the oldest homes and buildings in the county, the people of Covina, for some reason, don't seem to care much about the city's historic character.

Councilman Kevin Stapleton first realized this years ago when he and his wife tried to drum up momentum to increase preservation efforts.

After getting a little initial support, the effort soon fizzled.

Stapleton said Covina has a Mills Act program in place, which allows owners of historic homes to get property tax reductions in exchange for a promise to keep a property looking
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historic.

But no one ever signs up, said Stapleton, whose home was built around 1905.

"I love older homes," he said. "You actually have rooms. Things like a dining room, a living room, things like a yard for relaxing."

Perhaps the city's conservative residents don't want "the man" telling them what to do with their old house.

"Maybe people don't turn to government as readily as they may in other cities," Stapleton said.

But Covina resident Rudy Uribe has evidence that old-home lovers do exist in the eastern San Gabriel Valley.

He owns the big green house on San Bernardino Road and North Larkin Avenue next to the old Badillo homestead.

He bought the the 1910 American Victorian for $300,000 10 years ago, and he has been working on restoring it ever since.

He recently repainted most of the outside, and most of the inside is immaculate. It has hardwood floors, barreled ceilings, pocket doors - all the things old-home nerds like me go gaga for.

Uribe, an electrician, said the restoration has been hard work - way more than he thought when he bought the 3,300-square-foot monster.

But when he's working outside, people let him know they appreciate what he's doing.

"They stop by all the time," Uribe said Friday after he climbed down from a ladder. "People wave, honk, they tell me they love it."

Stapleton said it might be time to try to stoke the passions of preservation again - especially because the city's downtown is thriving.

"It might be time to talk about it again," he said.

As for the trees, maybe they can be milled down and used for facia.

The City Council in Covina is standing by their man, well men, after a Colton councilman complained that Covina City Manager Daryl Parrish and Finance Director Dilu De Alwis left Colton with a big budget deficit.

Both formerly worked in Colton, where Councilman Vincent Yzaguirre is complaining about a $5.8 mililion deficit he said is due in part to bad budget projections.

De Alwis said he did indeed overestimate, but he claimed a lot of other cities did the same thing, including Covina before he took the job there.

Parrish said he wasn't very involved in the budget.

Here's the beginning of a story from Amanda Baumfeld.

COVINA _ City officials spoke in support of two top executives this week after a Colton councilman accused the men of making budgetary mistakes during the executives' stints in Colton.
Colton Councilman Vincent Yzaguirre said miscalculations by City Manager Daryl Parrish and Finance Director Dilu De Alwis contributed to the city's $5.8 million budget deficit.
Parrish and De Alwis now work for Covina as the city manager and finance director.
"Human errors were made in the budget and they exacerbate the situation we are in with the economy," Yzaguirre said in a phone interview this week. "We have to make up for that shortfall."
Mayor Walt Allen said he is "happy" to have Parrish in the city.

Covina's newest City Manager, Daryl Parrish, is scheduled to begin on June 1.

In this story, which ran in The San Bernardino Sun, it discusses a "perception problem" that may have been created when Parrish used $15,000 from Cotlon's discrentionary funds to hire a consultant to work for the city.

Meanwhile, Covina was using the same consultant to interview city manager applicants. In the end, Parrish was selected for Covina.

Councilman Kevin Stapleton, however, said that Covina used the consultant back in the 1990s when they first hired the previous city manager, Paul Philips, and that the consultant had no say in their selection of Parrish.

Here's the story:

Colton consultant also worked for Covina, which just hired Colton 's city manager
Sun, The (San Bernardino, CA) - Monday, May 25, 2009
Author/Byline: Michael J. Sorba, Staff Writer
Section: News

COLTON - A consultant hired to provide ethics training and other services for the City Council is the same man the Covina City Council used to recruit its new city manager.

Colton City Manager Daryl Parrish was one of 59 applicants who vied for the Covina job and ended up being Covina's top choice.

The recruiter who narrowed the field from 59 to about 15 is Bill Mathis, a psychologist that specializes in management psychology. Mathis is one of about seven recruiters in the state that helps cities find candidates for high-profile job openings.

In October 2007 Parrish used his $25,000 discretionary fund, which doesn't require council approval, to award a $15,000 contact to Mathis to aid the council in developing a "norms and ethics policy," goal setting and provide other services until April 30, city reports say. In August, the council voted 4-3 to extend the contract to June 30 and increase Mathis' compensation to an amount not to exceed $50,000, reports say.

The situation has raised the eyebrows of some residents who say Parrish and Mathis should have disclosed the issue to the public to avoid any perception of backdoor dealings.

"My understanding is that he ( Parrish ) has been looking for a job elsewhere for a while," said Frank Navarro, a resident and member of the political group Colton First, which is often critical of city leaders. "It raises questions for anybody who has an interest in the community. Did he use taxpayer money to improve his chances of obtaining a job elsewhere?"

Parrish denies any ill intent in hiring Mathis. In the wake of scandals involving former councilmembers - including Ramon Hernandez and Donald Sanders - Parrish said Councilman David Toro directed him to formulate some sort of ethics system the council would follow and the idea was supported by Mayor Kelly Chastain.

Toro said his intent was to implement a policy that would set consequences if elected officials engaged in unethical activity, but such a system never came to fruition.

The recommendation to use Mathis for ethics training came from the city's law firm, Best Best & Krieger, city reports say.

Parrish has stated in public that he has applied for city manager jobs in other cities. In 2006 and 2007 he was a finalist for city manager openings in Hemet and Redlands, respectively. Mathis was not the recruiter for either city.

"I think people in the marketplace know that I'm a senior manager," Parrish said. "There was no premeditation on my part to hire Mathis so I could use him as my personal executive recruiter. The Covina council will attest to that, I'm there because I won the race."

A hiring committee made up of Covina Mayor Walt Allen and Councilman Kevin Stapleton took the 15 applicants Mathis selected from the entire pool and reduced the field to six finalists. Parrish was unanimously selected by the five-member Covina council, Allen said.

"He (Mathis) had nothing to do with the final selection of the candidate," Allen said. "There was just no comparison. We had some stellar candidates, but he ( Parrish ) just had what we were looking for."

Mathis said he didn't notify the Colton council he had selected Parrish as a candidate from the pool of applicants in Covina because "all of the city managers who were applying were guaranteed by me confidentiality."

Mathis said he didn't personally recruit Parrish and he learned the job was available and applied for it on his own.

Jessica Levinson, director of political reform for the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies, said applicant privacy is a valid reason for not making the job search public, but public officials should take special care to avoid creating a situation the public could view as unethical.

"It's the perception problem here," she said, "of making it look like public officials are going behind the backs of the public and engaging in dealings for their own benefit.

"Whether that was going on or not, the way to avoid that is to be as open and as transparent as possible, especially when you have a city that has a history of scandal. When the public starts to lose faith in their public officials it hurts the integrity of the governmental process."

The contract for Covina's newest City Manager, Daryl Parrish, is going to be approved tonight. Here what he's getting, according to the contract on page 186 of tonight's staff report:

1. Annual salary: $203,490, subject to an annual 5 percent bonus pay. Base salary is $199,500, but htat is increaesd because of a 2 percent educational incentive.

2. City Car: Parrish will get a fully equipped sedan capable of seating at least 5 people. Insurance and maintenance paid for by the city.

3. Time off: 75 hours per year of administrative leave, 20 days of vacation leave, same holidays and sick leave accrual as all other city employees.

4. Retirement Benefits: CalPers/PARS benefit totalling 2.7 percent @ 55; plus $250 a month paid by city in a deferred compensation plan.

5. Free Rent: The manager can live at the city owned 125 E. Italia Street property on a month-to-month basis. When the property will be needed for redevelopment purposes, the city will offer housing assistance payment of $1,000 per month.

6. Severance: If the City Manager is fired, he gets a 12 month severance pay ($199,500).

Patricia Allen, wife of Covina Mayor Walter Allen III, lost her 16 year battle with cancer on Tuesday.

Here is some information provided by the city:

Patricia Thomas Allen, the wife of Covina Mayor Walter Allen III, passed away
following a valiant sixteen-year battle with cancer on Tuesday, May 19, 2009.
Patricia was born on November 11, 1951. In addition to her husband of 37 years,
she is survived by her son Walter David Allen IV, and two brothers Keith and
Richard Thomas.

Patricia Allen was an artist, specializing in acrylic and oil. She was a vibrant,
active member of the community; involved with many civic organizations and St.
Louise De Marillac Catholic Church, and she enjoyed spending time with her many
loving friends. Among her many friendly and outgoing qualities, Patricia will be
remembered for her beautiful smile and positive attitude, even during her most dire
health challenges.

Services for Patricia Allen will take place on Thursday and Friday, May 28 and
May 29:

• Thursday, May 28, 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Rosary at St Louise De Marillac
Catholic Church, 1720 E Covina Blvd. Covina CA

The City of Covina provides responsive municipal services and manages public resources to enhance the quality of life for our community.

• Friday, May 29, 10:00 AM, Mass at St Louise De Marillac Catholic Church,
1720 E Covina Blvd. Covina CA, followed by Interment at Oakdale
Cemetery, 1401 So Grand Ave. Glendora CA

Following Internment, family and friends are invited to celebrate Pat's life at
Covina Center for the Performing Arts 104 N. Citrus Ave. Covina CA, hosted by
Chris & Retha Champion.

In lieu of flowers the family has suggested donations to one of the following:

• Citrus Valley Hospice, 820 N. Phillips Avenue, West Covina CA 91791
• Ettie Lee Youth and Family Services, PO Box 339, Baldwin Park CA 91706
• Stillpoint Family Resources, PO Box 5103, West Hills CA 91308
• American Cancer Society, 915 N. Grand Avenue, Covina CA 91724